Research Article

Primary Evaluation of Seed Characteristics of Common Bean Landraces Collected from Himalaya Region of Pakistan

Iffat Nawaz1*, Farhatullah1, Fida Muhammad1, Sajid Ali2 and Ghulam Muhammad Ali3

1Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, Faculty of Crop Production Sciences, The University of Agriculture, Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan; 2Institute of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering (IBGE), The University of Agriculture, Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan; 3National Institute of Genomics and Advanced Biotechnology (NIGAB) NARC, Islamabad, Pakistan.

Received | April 26, 2019; Accepted | December 01, 2019; Published | January 12, 2020

*Correspondence | Iffat Nawaz, Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, Faculty of Crop Production Sciences, The University of Agriculture, Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan; Email: iffat_nawaz@yahoo.com

Citation | Nawaz, I., Farhatullah, F. Muhammad, S. Ali and G.M. Ali. 2019. Primary evaluation of seed characteristics of common bean landraces collected from Himalaya region of Pakistan. Sarhad Journal of Agriculture, 36(1): 33-41.

DOI | http://dx.doi.org/10.17582/journal.sja/2020/36.1.33.41

Keywords | Primary evaluation, Common bean, Seed characteristics, Himalaya region, Pakistan

Introduction

Germplasm collection is a global effort to conserve plant biodiversity. The diversity of indigenous genetic resources is invaluable for breeding programmes. These resources can be used for basic research such as resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses, evolution and gene expression for improvement in crop plants (Dudnik et al., 2001; Mario et al., 2010).

Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L) is 3rd crop in the world in terms of grain legumes’ production after soybean (Glycine max L.) and ground nut (Arachis hypogea L.) (Nedumaran et al., 2015). It is an important and easily accessible source of protein in developing countries (Broughton et al., 2003; Mora-Avilés et al., 2007). It also contains starch, dietary fibers, minerals and vitamins other than proteins (Broughton, 2003). Knowledge about the origin and domestication is a crucial pre requisite in conservation and use of existing germplasm for future breeding programmes. Two main gene pools of common bean are described by Kwak and Gepts (2009), one is Mesoamerican and other is Andes. Mesoamerican beans are small seeded (< 25g/100seeds) while Andean beans have larger seed size (> 40g/100seeds) (Singh et al., 1991). Mesoamerican gene pool includes beans from southern and central Mexico, Central America Colombia and Guatemala while Andes gene pool principally comprised of Peru, Bolivia and Argentina (Bitocchi et al., 2012). These two gene pools are further distinguished in various races such as Mesoamerica, Jalisco, Durango, and Guatemala in Mesoamerican gene pool and Nueve Granda, Chile and Peru in Andean Gene pool (Beebe et al., 2000). Bean seeds have a uniform color which is known as primary color like red, black, beige, white etc. and a secondary color present in the form of stripes, spots and streaks of different shades (Silva and Costa, 2003). The preference of a particular seed color along with the seed coat pattern depends on region, country and consumers’ choice (Possobom et al., 2015). A huge phenotypic variability in common beans has usually been expressed in terms of color, size, shape and brightness (Corte et al., 2010).

Common beans are grown by small scale farmers in most of the developing countries. Myanmar, India, Brazil, China and Mexico are top producers of common bean (Nedumaran et al., 2015). In Pakistan, common bean is grown by farmers in Himalaya belt. Himalaya region is rich in legume production, because of favorable climatic conditions for legume production. It includes common bean, peas, cowpea and lentil (Ghafoor and Arshad, 2011).

In Pakistan, the genetic resources of indigenous common bean are unexploited and underutilized with a very inadequate crop improvement work. Mostly local landraces are grown expressing a significant genetic diversity. These land races and primitive types are found in mixed form and not a single registered variety has been reported so far in our country. Due to its broad genetic base, there exists high genetic variability in seed coat color, seed shape, seed size and growth habit. Genetic diversity reduces the susceptibility of food crops to catastrophic losses due to biotic stress (pests or pathogen) as well as abiotic stress (drought, high temperature, chilling etc.) (Ghafoor and Arshad, 2011). According to Nakano et al. (1994) black seeded snap bean varieties have high potential for heat tolerance to be further utilized in breeding programs. No evidence is reported in literature about the characterization of common bean of Pakistan. Therefore, there is need to focus on the characterization and conservation of indigenous common bean of Himalaya region which is exclusively a negligible discipline of legumes. These genetic resources need protection, characterization and conservation. The conservation and sustainable utilization of genetic resources can play an important role in agricultural productivity. It can also significantly contribute to the food security, poverty elimination and national development.

In Pakistan, there is intense need to conserve indigenous germplasm of common bean for its proper utilization at present and in future for crop improvement. The objectives of this study were to collect the indigenous common bean germplasm from Himalaya region of Pakistan and to evaluate for seed characteristics.

Materials and Methods

Common bean has high potential in Himalaya Region of Pakistan which includes northern areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit Baltistan and Kashmir. Mostly collection of common bean germplasm was done from the farmers’ fields and stores of these specified areas. Some accessions were obtained from the research institutes. Agricultural Research Institute Mingora Swat provided 16 indigenous accessions while two were collected from National Agriculture Research Center Islamabad. Primary evaluation of seed characteristics was done according to the International Board of Plant Genetic Resources (IBPGR) descriptors. Data were recorded on seed color, seed shape and seed coat pattern. Cluster Analysis was done based on basic seed traits and variance dendrogram was generated using R-Statistical Package.

Results and Discussion

Common beans are grown in high altitude areas of Himalaya region. It is grown in kharif season in combination with maize crop as maize plants provide trellis for the climbing types of beans. Local accessions show important genetic resources directly used by the marginal farmers in the remote areas of Himalaya region. Farmers are growing these types for many years that were selected for their adaptation to local agro climatic conditions. A total of 96 accessions were collected from the Himalaya region of Pakistan. There exists significant diversity in color, shape and seed coat pattern. Seventy-five accessions were collected from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa which comprises 78.1% of total collection while 10 accessions were from Gilgit Baltistan and 11 were from Kashmir showing 10.4% and 11.5% of total respectively (Figure 1A).

Table 1: Total Number of accessions from Himalaya Region of Pakistan.

Common bean is grown in northern areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) which lies in Himalaya range. Total of 76 accessions were collected from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Fifty-eight accessions were obtained from farmers’ field of Siran valley, Konsh valley, Naran, Chitral, Batgram, Kohistan, Batakundi, Shangla and Parachinar, while remaining accessions were obtained from Agricultural Research Institute Mingora, Swat. All of these accessions were locally cultivated by the farmers and supplied to the local retail seed shops. They had no accession name. These accessions had been maintained by the farmers for many years by successive cultivation. Seed colour and shape are important indicators of genetic variability and consumer habit. These accessions had different seed colors and shapes (Figure 2A). High variability was observed in seed color. Almost 24 different colors of seed were found in KPK (Table 1). Red color beans are abundant (26.6%) in above mentioned areas of KPK. Similar result was indicated by Sultan et al. (2014). Red colour beans are preferred by the consumers as compared to others (Sexton et al., 1997). Seed coat pattern also varied for each accession (Table 1). Four different shapes of seed were recorded with five different types of seed coat patterns while it is absent in (53.3%) of accessions. Cuboid seed shape was most common (49.4%) followed by oval (32.0%), truncate fastigiated (16.0%) and kidney shapes (2.6%). Okii et al. (2014) observed same trend in seed shape and most common seed shape in his study was Cuboid with frequency of 46%. Similar trends of seed shape were also reported by Sultan et al. (2014). No registered variety of common beans was found or reported in these areas inspite of the most suitable climatic conditions for its production.

Table 1: Seed color, shape and seed coat pattern of accession from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Table 2: Seed colors, shapes and seed coat patterns of accession from Gilgit Baltistan.

Temperatures vary in the valley bottoms from 40°C in summer to -10°C in winter. Commonly grown pluses are beans, peas, black gram, lentil, and chickpea (Khan et al., 2014).

During exploration of indigenous germplasm, ten accessions of common bean were obtained from farmers’ field of Gilgit Baltistan. All accessions were of different colours, shapes and seed coat patterns (Figure 2B). Nine different colors, three different shapes and three seed coat patterns were identified according to the descriptor. Seed coat pattern was absent in 40.0% accessions of Gilgit Baltistan (Table 2.2). Similar results were observed by Okii et al. (2014). In his study he found that 45.3% of the total germplasm has no seed coat pattern. Three seed shapes i.e. oval (30.0%), cuboid (40.0%) and kidney (30.0%) were recorded in collection from Gilgit Baltistan. Mario et al. (2010) presented that he found two seed shapes i.e. ovate and kidney seed shape with a percentage of 50.5% and 21.9% respectively in his study on Chilean common beans germplasm. The other seed shapes presented in their study were round, cylindrical and Rhomboid. As far as seed coat pattern was concerned, three different seed coat patterns were recorded. Different seed coat patterns including constant mottled, striped and rhomboid spotted were represented respectively in 20.0%, 20.0% and 20.0% in collection from Gilgit Baltistan. These are mostly grown in Ghizar district of Gilgit Baltistan.

The hilly areas of Kashmir are famous for the production of common bean. It is usually grown by the dry land marginal farmers in high altitudes (Sultan et al., 2014). Eight accessions were collected from farmers’ field while two accessions were obtained from National Agricultural Research Center Islamabad. Considerable diversity in colour, shape and size was observed in these accessions (Figure 2C). All accessions were of different colors with three variable shapes and three types of seed coat patterns while it was absent in 45.4% accessions (Table 3). Seed coat pattern included constant mottled (9.0%), striped (27.2%) and Rhomboid spotted (18.2%). Three seed shapes i.e. oval (45.45%), cuboid (36.4%) and Truncate fastigiated (18.2%) were recorded in collection from Kashmir. These results are consistent with the findings of different scientists who have reported wide variation in seed shape of common bean germplasm (Rodino et al., 2003; Rai et al., 2006; Rodino et al., 2006; Cabral et al., 2010; Lioi et al., 2012).

Cluster analysis was performed on all collection from three different areas of Himalaya Region which produced four clusters (G1, G2, G3 and G4) of 96 genotypes (Figure 3). G4 was further divided into two sub groups i.e. G4-A and G4-B. G4-A contained 25 accessions while G4-B composed of 30 accessions, followed by G3 and G2 containing 17 and 16 accessions respectively. G1 was the smallest group having eight accessions. The 96 accessions occurred in four major clusters (G1, G2, G3, G4). The G1 group contained eight accessions having oval, kidney shaped and cuboid seed shapes. The G2 group was

Table 3: Seed colors, shapes and seed coat patterns of accessions from Kashmir.

predominated by oval seed shaped followed by cuboid seed shape. Sixteen accessions were included in G2 without a clear distinction in seed color. For example, some accessions had brown primary color with black as secondary color in form of dots while other have skin and brown as primary color with purple, green, red or maroon strips or spots. Seed coat pattern had a mixed trend in both G1 and G2. The G3 was dominated by cuboid seed shape followed by oval and truncate fastigiate, respectively. Most dominant seed colour in this group was black without any seed coat pattern. G4 was the largest group containing 55 accessions. It was further subdivided into two sub groups i.e. G4-A and G4-B. All of 25 accessions in G4-A were of single primary colour i.e. red and maroon. The Seed coat pattern was absent in all accessions of G4-A. In G4-B, 17 accessions had single primary seed colour i.e. skin to brown. The seed coat pattern of these accessions was constant mottled followed by circular mottling and speckled. The remaining 13 accessions of G4-B contained secondary seed colour in form of stripped seed coat pattern i.e. brown primary color with black as secondary color in stripped seed coat pattern. Asfaw et al. (2009) also conducted a study on common beans from Ethiopia and Kenya. They found the similar trend of seed color in their study. Most of accessions in their study were of single primary color and had no secondary seed color, however among those red and cream mottled seed types were also present. Blair et al. (2010) studied land races from Central Africa and observed considerable variations in seed size and color predominated by red which was also frequent in our study. Stoilova et al. (2013) also observed three seed shapes i.e. kidney shaped, cuboid and oval with dominance of white color seeds followed by reddish or mottled seeds in their study. The G4-A and G4-B in our study showed a mixed trend of seed shape that is cuboid, oval, truncate fastigiated and kidney shaped. This remarkable diversity in seed characters can be useful for proper characterization and conservation of indigenous germplasm. During the course of this study all accessions were collected from local villages which are known for marginal and risk prone farming systems so the diversity found in these accessions can provide valuable alleles for adaptation to stressful environments in future breeding programmes.

Conclusions and Recommendations

The significant diversity in 96 accessions collected during the course of present study from three main areas of Himalaya region may provide valuable alleles for biotic and abiotic stress in future breeding programmes. During primary evaluation of seed characteristics, the existence of different seed colors, shape and seed coat patterns showed remarkable variation which may be helpful in characterization and conservation of germplasm. Morphological, molecular, biochemical characterization and conservation of germplasm is recommended for future propagation and investigation of genetic relationship.

Novelty Statement

Collection of common bean landraces and the primary evaluation of their seed traits are important for the maintenance of diversity and food security in the sce-nario of climate change. This genetic diversity can best be conserved and made available for future breeding programs.

Author’s Contribution

Iffat Nawaz and Farhatuullah designed and conducted the study. Iffat Nawaz, Farhatullah and Ghulam Muhammad Ali collected germplasm from different areas of Himalaya region. Iffat Nawaz and Sajid Ali conducted analysis of data. Iffat Nawaz and Farhatullah wrote the manuscript and provided final interpretation. Fida Muhammad and Ghulam Muhammad Ali edited manuscript and provided final interpretation. Iffat Nawaz and Farhatullah provided resources for study.

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